The Kingdom of God
“God’s Pattern for Kingdom Living”
Philippians 3:12-16
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbrnYa9PU7w
There are a lot of books in today’s market dealing with the topic of success and how to be successful in business, relationships, marriages, and in life. And people rush to bookstores or the Internet to buy them thinking that somehow, they’ll solve all of life’s problems.
But what I’ve found ironic is that when I look at some of these books, are not written by those who are considered experts in the field. Some of these books are written by those were trying to establish their credentials in their field or line of work. Further they contain a whole lot of filler and very little meat.
Personally, when I want to learn about something I want to go to those who’ve accomplished it, because when learning anything we tend to learn more from those who model what we desire to learn more than we do from reading a manual.
And so, if we want to be successful in living life in this crazy mixed-up world, the best person to model our lives after is Jesus Christ. And we can find out how from the Bible which is all about Him.
Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39 NKJV)
The Bible is also filled with stories about those who through their actions, or lack thereof, have succeeded or failed. It’s about how they lived and how God met and changed them.
While Jesus is our ultimate model, I’d like to instead focus on the Apostle Paul, who said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV)
Paul successfully planted churches throughout Asia and parts of Europe and helped to plant even more through his disciples. Paul was successful because he followed Christ.
In the third chapter of his letter to the Philippian Church he gives his autobiography, and from these verses, especially verses twelve through sixteen, we can see God’s model for Kingdom Living.
And after Paul’s description he says to follow this example as he followed it.
“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Philippians 3:17 NIV)
Paul is giving to us a pattern by which we can live our lives, a pattern for successful living in the sight of the Lord.
Read Philippians 3:12-16
From these passages we see the example Paul left behind, a pattern that we can use.
1. Evaluation
This is where we honestly face our faults.
This is where we admit we don’t have it altogether; that we still have a long way left to go and grow, and that we are in no way perfect. This is where we do an inventory of our lives; in 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul tells us to examine ourselves. Why? Because we have to know where we are before we’ll ever move forward in the calling God has for our lives.
What are the areas we need improvement? And so Paul did an evaluation, an inventory, and he was honest about his shortcomings and that he still had a long way to go.
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12 NKJV)
What an amazing statement. Paul’s an old man at this point, and if anyone had the right to say they’ve arrived, it would have been him. Through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, he wrote the majority of the New Testament, and helped spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
But still at the end of his life he says, “I don’t have it all together. I haven’t arrived. I’m still a work in progress.” The point is that to live a successful Christian life we must never stop growing, but continue to develop, expand, and learn.
The longer I’m around, the more I realize my own inadequacies, limitations, weaknesses, and faults. Hopefully I’ll never say, “Look at how far I’ve come.” That scares me, because I know God will show me in no uncertain terms just how far I fall short.
So doing an honest evaluation is the first part of this pattern for successful Christian living. Solomon said, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV)
God is saying that we’ll never succeed in life if we’re trying to hide our sins. Instead, we need to confess them and repent, that is, turn away from them and turn to God instead. Then God will show us mercy. We need to be honest about our faults.
Now, there are people who are afraid to admit their weaknesses because they’re more interested in having a reputation in the kingdom of this world than they are in being successful in the Kingdom of God. So, we must choose, “Do we want to look good or be good?”
Therefore, we need to take a personal inventory, but what I’ve found is that while we’re really good at doing personal inventories on others, we’re not too good at doing them on ourselves.
To help us in this area we need to start praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV)
2. Elimination
After talking about not having it all together, Paul goes on to say,
“But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind.” (Philippians 3:13b NKJV)
Paul says that he’s not going to waste any more time worrying about the past.
We need to forget what went on before, that is, we need to let go the past. We need to stop the past from manipulating our present and future. We have to let go of our past, including our guilt, grief, and grudges. We need to let go of our pasts so we can get on with our present and future.
The Lord said to Isaiah, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV)
The question becomes how can we forget when our brains store everything we’ve done, and Satan loves to continue bringing it up in our faces?
Let me answer by saying that forgetting the past means not allowing it to affect your present. It’s a choice we make. We must learn from the past without dwelling upon it. We must learn from the past and then move into the present and future.
Two things we must learn to forget
a. Forget Our Failures
One of Satan’s favorite tools is to manipulate us with our memories. We have to stop rehearsing what we’ve done wrong. If we’ve asked God to forgive us, we need to accept His forgiveness and stop trying to forgive ourselves.
Paul learned not to beat himself up for his past mistakes, and instead he moved past them into the future of God’s calling. Paul had many regrets. Before his conversion, Paul was a persecutor of Christians, putting many in prison. He also was the official witness of the death of the first Christian martyr, Steven.
But Paul faced his faults and didn’t allow them to manipulate his present. Instead, he moved forward in the calling Jesus had upon his life.
b. Forget Our Successes
It’s easy to live in our past successes and think to ourselves, “Look at what we’ve accomplished,” and never accomplish anything great again.
The problem with not forgetting our successes is that they make us complacent, filling us with pride. And when that happens, the Bible says to be careful, because that is when we start heading for a fall.
So, we need to forget both our past failures and successes and move forward. Jesus tells us,
“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 NKJV)
We cannot drive down a street while looking in our review mirror. What the Lord is saying is that once we’ve started moving forward, if we look back then we’ll never draw a straight line for Him, which is what the Lord told me when He called me to Mesquite.
So, the first step is evaluation, then comes elimination. Now Paul moves on to the third step,
3. Concentration
In this step we need to look at where we’re going. We not only need to stop looking at the past, but we also need to look forward to the future. It’s where we move towards God’s goal, that is, His calling upon our lives.
“But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 NKJV)
Paul had a singular priority. Our problem today is that we try to do several things at the same time. In business we call it multi-tasking.
So, Paul is getting us to look at what really counts. It’s determining the most important thing and concentrating on that. Consider this, a river that overflows its bank is call a marsh or swamp, while a river that’s channeled produces tremendous power. Or how about light that’s diffused is powerless, but concentrated light is called a laser.
And so, whatever is the most important thing, concentrate on that. For Paul it was God, and the prize of the upward call. Therefore, He lived his life with that goal.
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NKJV)
There will be nothing better than to hear the words of Jesus saying once this life is over, “Well done good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23 NKJV)
This leads me to the last part of this pattern.
4. Determination
The principle of determination is that nothing worthwhile in life happens without effort. The only way you coast is when you’re going downhill, so if you’re coasting in your Christianity then you’re going downhill.
Those who have demonstrated great faith in the past are nothing more than ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. They keep on keeping on. They never give up.
Let’s take a look at our verse now in the NIV
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” (Philippians 3:13b-14a NIV)
Can you feel the intensity; “straining toward,” “pressing on.” If we put in as much energy in knowing and following God as we do in our other pursuits, then we would definitely see a difference in our community and the world for Christ.
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:24 NLT)
For Paul it was telling others the good news of Jesus Christ, of being an Apostle to the Gentiles. What is that work God has assigned for you? Just as a side note, the sharing of our faith is for everyone.
For Paul, he never gave up, and finished on point. He finished on purpose. At the end look at what he said.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV)
This needs to be our Statement of Faith.
Now, in verses 15 and 16 Paul gives us some suggestions on how we are to live this whole thing out.
A. Be Mature
“Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind.” (Philippians 3:15a NKJV)
What mind are we to have? One that contains the pattern set down by Paul. And for this to happen we need to be mature. We can’t be toss to and fro by every wind and wave of doctrine that shows up or tossed about by our emotions. I’ve seen many believers sidelined in their calling because they acted immaturely. We are also to have the same mind of Christ, which Paul brings out earlier in Philippians 2.
B. Be Teachable
“And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” (Philippians 3:15b NKJV)
We need to stay open to the truth of God’s word, and God will reveal His truth and His will. He’ll give us revelatory knowledge. But the moment we stop being teachable, the moment we stop learning and growing, then that’s when it’s over.
C. Be Persistent
“To the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule.” (Philippians 3:16a NKJV)
We are to continue to walk out this life of faith, this journey we’ve undertaken, a journey to spiritual transformation. And while we may falter, we must learn to get up and continue. The only rut we fall into is the rut of our own making. So, if we find ourselves in this rut, let’s stop digging.
D. Be Unified
“Let us be of the same mind.” (Philippians 3:16b NKJV)
We don’t live out this life in isolation, but in unity with other believers. That’s why the writer of Hebrews (10:25) tells us not to give up meeting together, as some are prone to do, but instead we are to give these gatherings preference so that we can encourage one another.
Conclusion
Let take a moment to review. To live a successful Christian life, we have to …
· Start taking a honest look at our lives. Do an evaluation.
· Let’s not allow our past to control our present or our future. Do an elimination.
· Let’s stop dabbling in everything and concentrate on what’s most important, our relationship with Christ. That is, we need Concentration.
· And finally, we shouldn’t give up. So, we need Determination.
These are some key values for the church as well. They’ll determine the type of church we’re going to be.
· We need to stop judging people based upon their past. Instead, we’re to be more interested in the direction they’re heading right now. It’s not about perfection; rather it’s all about direction.
· We need to share the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone within our sphere of influence. This was Jesus’s goal, to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
The power to accomplish all this within our lives and the church doesn’t come from us, but rather it lies within the power that resides within us, that is, the power of Christ. This was what the Apostle Paul understood as well.
He said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
